This invention relates to a blank useful in the production of a tampon for feminine hygiene consisting of a length of a strip of cottonwool or rayon staple or combination thereof sealed in a moisture-pervious fluff-free covering material. The blank is then supplied with a recovery thread and compressed radially and/or axially in relation to the recovery thread. The invention also relates to a process for producing the blank useful in the production of a tampon.
With conventional tampons, fibers or pieces of cottonwool can remain behind in the vagina. Accordingly, attempts have been made to cover the length of fibrous cottonwool strip with moisture-pervious fluff-free material in the manufacture of tampons. The covering in question may consist, for example, of rayon, synthetic fibers or of a mixture of these materials, preferably in a nonwoven form. For example, tampons, are produced by a process in which the rectangular length of cottonwool strip is wrapped in a nonwoven and the associated recovery thread or recovery string is sewn on longitudinally of the strip. In that case, compression may be carried out radially and/or axially in relation to the longitudinal axis of the strip.
Where compression is carried out radially, W-shaped folding, i.e. four-layer, folding is preferred. However, this process does not enable the tampon to be covered at its cut edges, i.e. at the head of the tampon and at its end, so that fibers are able to break loose there, i.e. to break out from the cottonwool strip.
In another process used for producing tampons, the strip of cottonwool is wrapped in a nonwoven and then cut into rectangular sections. The length of the section to be compressed is determined by the width of the cottonwool strip. Accordingly, the recovery thread is fastened perpendicularly of rather than parallel to the overlap line of the covering material. In this process, too, W-shaped folding of the covered section of cottonwool strip is preferred, although the fold lines run paralled to the exposed cut edges. In this way, the exposed cut edge are displaced from the head and the head and the end of the tampon onto its substantially cylindrical peripheral surface, although they are still exposed. Accordingly, fibers can become detached from the cut edges on removal of the tampon, particularly after it has expanded on taking up fluid.